Please note that this article is derived from a sermon series on Hebrews given in Bermondsey Gospel Hall, the audio of which can be found here.
This is the end of our journey through the first section of Hebrews. In May 2018 we started in 1:1 and now, two years later, we finish in 4:16. I hope to return to Hebrews again in the future. However, the next time I preach to you, God willing we will begin a new series in the book of 1 Kings.
When we started considering 4:11-16 a few weeks ago, we noticed that these verses act as a turning point in the book. They are the pivot upon which the author moves from Hebrews 1-4 into Hebrews 5-10. The first section dwells mostly on the Message of the Superior Son, while the second focuses almost entirely on the Ministry of the Superior Son. The movement from one theme to another is clear within our passage, with verses 11-13 looking back on that message and verses 14-16 looking forward to that ministry.
Hebrews 4:11-13 spoke to us of Activity and Accountability. We were there urged to be active, striving and straining in this fight of faith, for we will be held accountable before God for it. These verses are like the point of a spear, with a shaft that runs from here back to Hebrews 1:1. Over these four chapters the author has shown the superiority of our Saviour and built up to this conclusion. He tells us that if we fail to respond to this message of such great salvation, if our hearts are too hard to hear and hold onto the promises of God, we will one day stand naked and exposed before God, we will give an account to him of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. We will stand before the God who never lies, God the faithful and true, and be asked why we would not believe his good news (4:2), why we hardened our hearts when we heard his voice (3:7-8), why we did not pay close attention but neglected his great salvation (2:3); why we did not hold fast to the end (3:6,14). How shall we escape on that day? What will we say when we stand before ‘him to whom we must give an account’?
That is the question the author has been working towards for four chapters, and he asks it in verses 11-13. However, in verses 14-16, he gets us to cast our eyes forward to what he is going to say in the next section. This is clear because at the end of Hebrews 5-10, in Hebrews 10:19-23, the author will use almost identical language to summarise all he has said. There he will urge again his readers to have confidence through Jesus to draw near to God and hold fast to their confession. Here in Hebrews 4:14-16, we see the very same message, a message that the author communicates to us through two big concepts: Compassion and Confidence.
1. COMPASSION – Christ can sympathise with all your struggles because he shared in them (v14-15)
Did you notice the transformation that takes place within our text? Did you wonder how it is that we move so quickly from the situation described in verse 13 to the invitation given in verse 16? In verse 13 we find ourselves standing before the throne of God, naked and exposed, giving an account for all the thoughts and intentions our hearts. Our deepest darkest secrets will be brought into the light, our hidden sins will be exposed before the eyes of a holy God, our failure to have faith and live faithfully will become clear. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:5 that when the Lord comes, he ‘will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.’ Or in 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul explains ‘we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.’ Or in Romans 14:10-12, ‘we will all stand before the judgment seat…then each of us will give an account of himself to God.’ Take a few seconds to reflect on that. Is that a day you are looking forward to? Does the prospect of future accountability fill you with confidence? It is only natural, when faced with that day, we want to do what mankind has always done when recognising its own failures and nakedness before God. Genesis 3:7-8 tells us the eyes of Adam and Eve ‘were opened, and they knew that they were naked…and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.’ That’s why this passage should surprise us. When faced with future accountability, we do not naturally run to God but away from him. And yet, verse 16 exhorts ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne…’. What is it that causes this confidence, for it is not found in verse 13? What truth could the author outline in two verses to cause this transformation? What could the author possibly tell us that would give change us from wanting to run away from God’s throne to running to God’s throne?
Verses 14-15 contain a truth that is powerful enough to do that. Hebrews 5-10 lay it out in more detail, but here in the first few words of 4:14 we have the seed from which that great tree will spring up. Here is the acorn which will grow into a mighty oak. ‘Since then we have a great high priest…’. The fact that we have a priest, a mediator, a representative, an advocate, one who will go to God to speak on our behalf, to plead in our place, to pay our penalty, transforms everything. We not only have a priest, but a high priest. He isn’t just the run of the mill, everyday representative, he is the top of the tree, the first in line, the one who has the best access to God. The High Priest in the Old Testament was the only priest that was allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place, the only one who could enter God’s presence to plead for his people. And we not only have a high priest, but a great high priest. The author will display his greatness over the coming 6 chapters: we will see that he is greater than the high priests in the Old Testament for he has a better origin (5:1-10), order (5:11-7:28), ordinance (8:1-13) and offering (9:1-10:18). However here, the characteristic that the author says causes his greatness is his compassion.
If you were just to read verse 14, that isn’t really clear. Verse 14 outlines our high priest’s transcendence, ‘we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God…’. That is the transcendence of our high priest. However, in verse 15 the author draws us deeper, past his transcendence and to his tenderness (Schreiner). ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses...’. The word translated sympathise in Greek is ’sympatheo’, it is the word from which we get the Latin and then English word. It appears only once more in the New Testament, in Hebrews 10:34, where it is translated ‘compassion’. It means to be inclined toward or show empathy to. It is the action of understanding, being aware of or sensitive to, and indirectly experiencing the feelings and experiences of another. Christ’s compassion means that he understands, is aware of, is sensitive to, even indirectly feels, your experiences.
There is a connection between Christ and a Christian like there is between a mother and her child. When the child falls off their scooter and cuts up their hands and knees, though the mother does not experience any physical pain, her compassion for her child means that she feels their pain none the less. The same is true within our bodies. I currently have a problem with one of my teeth but for a few weeks we weren’t sure which tooth was causing the pain. At different times, different parts of my mouth were feeling the pain. It is something medics call referred pain. Because of the way our nervous system is connected, I was feeling pain in the parts of my mouth where I didn’t have any problem. One tooth was feeling the pain of another. There is a connection between Christ and a Christian which means he understands, is aware of and sensitive to us.
The author has already talked about our connection with Christ. In Hebrews 2:27 he argued that ‘he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God…’. Because Jesus was made like us, partook of our flesh and blood, there is a family connection, there is a relationship that exists between us. However, in Hebrews 4 the focus is not on this family connection, but on our familiar conditions. It is not just that a relationship that exists between a Christian and Christ, but that there is a reality experienced by both a Christian and Christ. ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are…’. He was both made like us in every respect (2:17) and experiences temptation as us in every respect (4:15).
This reference to experience temptation helps us understand better what the author meant when he said Christ can ‘sympathise with our weaknesses…’. That word weaknesses can mean a wide range of things. Any natural limitation or lack of strength. An illness, incapacity or inability. Christ can sympathise with you in all your sorrows and sufferings. There is not a single situation you will be in that Christ cannot sympathise with. However, while Christ can sympathise with us in all our struggles, the reference to temptation emphasises our struggles with sin. Those weaknesses that you face as you resist temptation, as you struggle to remain faithful and faith-filled, as you strive and strain to be true to God. The author assures us that no matter what field we fight sin on, what form of sin we face, how long or how strong the temptation is, Christ can sympathise with you, for he is one ‘who in every respect has been tempted as we are…’. Are others trying your patience, do you not think Christ was tempted to be impatient with his disciples? Are you worrying about your finances, was Christ not tempted to do the same when he had nowhere to lay down his head? Are you anxious about the future, what worries tried to well up within Christ’s heart as he travelled towards Jerusalem? Are you struggling over bitterness towards friends or family who betrayed you, did Christ’s family not call him insane before the crowds, did his disciples not flee before the mob, was Christ not betrayed by a kiss? Are you tempted to doubt God’s goodness because of the death of loved ones, did Christ not lose his father Joseph at a young age and his cousin John the Baptist unjustly beheaded by a tyrant? Do you struggle to see God’s purpose in suffering, did Christ not face the same foe on the cross? Spurgeon writes, ‘Where any sinless foot could go, he has gone’. Christ can sympathise with all your struggles because he shared in them.
There is not a struggle against sin in which Christ did not share, and yet his is a sinless sympathy. He succeeded in every struggle he had against sin. ‘We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.’ He can sympathise with us, not because he has sinned like us, but because he has been like us, lived like us, felt like us, been tempted to sin like us. In fact he has been tempted to sin in a far greater and more powerful way than we ever will. Jesus struggled against Satan in ways that we couldn’t dream off, there are depths of demonic temptations poured out on Christ that no man had ever faced before, and yet he defeated the Devil in each one. We have both been brought under temptation, and where we have failed, he has been faithful.
Christ’s sinless sympathy is exactly what we need. Sinful people need a sinless priest. Christ needed to be sinless so he could be a sacrifice for sinners likes us. He had to be perfect so he could pay our penalty. We need the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. And yet, in thanking him for his sinlessness, we must also remember his struggles. We must not forget that we have a priest who suffered both so he could save us and sympathise with us. Isaiah 53 combines these two truths so well. ‘He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed’ (53:5). However, just before that, we are told ‘He was…a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…’ (53:3–4). We need both truths. That’s why we sing, ‘He took my sins and my sorrows, he made them his very own…’. ‘What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear…’. Christ doesn’t just cancel out your sins, the truth is even more glorious than that, he also cares about and carries your sorrows. God isn’t some anonymous benefactor who is happy to send a big cheque to pay off your debts but doesn’t want to hear about your little problems. God is interested and invested in our lives. Peter tells us to cast ‘all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’ (1 Peter 5:7) When you come to Christ, no matter what you are facing, you can talk to him about it, cry to him over it. He will have compassion towards you. Christ can sympathise with all your struggles because he shared in them.
2. CONFIDENCE – Christians can have confidence they will find help at the throne of grace (v16)
What does Christ’s compassion mean? What difference does it make? Well, it is the truth that transforms the situation in verse 13 to the invitation in verse 16. It is the basis upon which the author can say ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ Yes we will be held accountable. Yes we will have to answer to God for how we respond to his word. But because we know that Jesus, our Great High Priest, who is compassionate and sympathetic towards us, is there to represent us at the throne of God, we can confidently come to ask for help in our fight of faith, to succeed in our struggles with sin. Christian – there is mercy and grace available to help you in your time of need. Are you using these resources? Are you drawing down on this divine assistance? Or are you trying to bear your burdens alone? Stumbling under the weight of your struggles by yourself?
What is it we are told to confidently, that is with ‘bold frankness’ (Lane), approach? Where is it we are invited to come openly and honestly to present our petitions? To unburden our hearts and cast down our cares? It’s God’s throne. The eternal seat from which he rules and reigns over all things. The Psalmist would write ‘God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.’ (Psalm 47:8) Or Psalm 103:19, ‘The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.’ We are invited into the very heart of God’s government. This isn’t like being able to go and lobby in the House of Commons or House of Lords. This isn’t even like being invited to Buckingham Palace for a meeting with Her Majesty. We are told we can confidently, at any time, approach the King of Ceation as he rules over his vast kingdom and ask him for assistance in our troubles and temptations. There is not greater authority we could access, there is no higher help than he. John Newton would marvel at this and, encouraging us to realise the magnitude of our access, wrote, ‘Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring. For his grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much.’ Spurgeon wrote, ‘Ask for great things, for you are before a great throne’. Christian, your problem might seem unsolvable, your battle might seem unwinnable, your suffering might seem unbearable. But remember who it is you are approaching for help. You are standing before the throne of God. As Jesus said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’ (Mark 10:27)
The God you were once terrified to go near, that seat of judgement and justice that would have seen you condemned and damned instantly if you had of come before it, that throne has been transformed. No longer a throne of judgement, Christ our compassionate high priest, has transformed it into a throne of grace. As Christians, by his sacrifice on the cross, he has cleansed us from our sin so that we can appear in the presence of God. Because of his sympathy for us in our shared struggles, we know that the requests we make will be understood, will be received and there will be a response of mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.
‘[1] Where high the heavenly temple stands, the house of God not made with hands, a great High Priest our nature wears, Jesus, the Son of God, appears. [3] Though now ascended up on high, he bends on earth a brother's eye; partaker of the human name, he knows the frailty of our frame. [4] Our fellow-sufferer yet retains a fellow-feeling of our pains; and still remembers in the skies his tears, his agonies and cries. [5] In every pang that rends the heart, the Man of Sorrows has a part; he sympathizes with our grief, and to the sufferer sends relief. [6] With boldness, therefore, at the throne, let us make all our sorrows known; and ask the aid of heavenly power, to help us in the evil hour.’ (Michael Bruce, Scottish Paraphrases 1781). Christian – are you letting Jesus bear your burdens? Are you casting all your anxieties on him? What kept you from falling asleep last week? Have to prayed to your High Priest about it? What problems are you likely to face this week? Have you come before God to ask for grace and mercy to help in them? Are you using the heavenly help? Accessing divine assistance? Christians can have confidence they will find help at the throne of grace.
If you are not a Christian, where is your confidence? To whom can you go to for help? It is only by trusting in Jesus Christ that we can move from the situation in verse 13 to the invitation in verse 16. It is only by those words ‘Since then we have a great high priest…’ that this transformation takes place. It is only for those who are in Christ Jesus that there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Without a mediator, without a representative, without a priest before God, there can be no compassion, only condemnation. There can be no sympathy, only a sentence. Payment for the penalty of your sins must be made. You must give an account before God for the thoughts and intentions of your heart, your failure to respond in faith to messages and sermons like this one. Mercy and grace are only available in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, the throne will never be a throne of grace. It will remain a throne of judgement. O take up and hold fast to that confession of a compassionate Christ. ‘Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession’ (3:1). Believe it in your heart, confess it with your mouth, declare it to the world by passing through the waters of baptism and joining the company of his people. Then you will experience the great compassion of Christ, the confidence that a Christian can have in approaching God for assistance. Then you will receive waves of mercy and grace that you never believed to be possible.
ALEXANDER ARRELL